The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-09-28
POPULAR SCIENCE.

A hailstone with nucleus of gypsum,
probably sucked up in water spout, fell
in q recent shower in France.
By means of an air gun Professor G. l..
Mees has found that to drive straws into
pine boards and hickory bark, as is
often done by tornadoes, a velocity OF
120 to 175 miles an hour is necessary
The remains of no less than fifty mine
species of Towering plants from mummy
wrappings in Egypt have been identified.
The flowers have been wonderfully pre-.
served, even the delicate violet color OF
| the larkspur and the scarlet of the poppy,
the chlorophyl in the leaves, and the
sugar in the raisins remaining.
Of the cephalopods, comprising the
cutie. fish, the octopus or dcvil-tish, and
tLcir allies, thirty-two species new to
science were discovered by the Challen,
ger expedition, according to a report
lust finished. Some of the cephalopods
have length of sixty feet, and they ap-
pear formidable as well as singular
creatures.
French chemical experiments have
proved that water passed through 2OC
yards of galvanized iron pipe takes up
4. 90 grains of zinc carbonate per gallon.
1t is on this accouut that the Govern
ment has forbidden the use of galvanized
water tanks on French war vessels, and
it is likewise advised that tanks OF this
kind should in all cases be abandoned
where the water is used for drinking and
culinary purposes.
In one of his lectures before the Royal
Institute, London, Professor Lodge illus,
tratcd the lately discovered fact that
smoke and dust are removed by electric
ity by exhibitinga a couple of glass jars
filed with smoke and dust, and which
were instantly rendered clear by dis
charging through them current OF cleo
tricity. He makes the interesting sug'
ecstion whether similar discharge Of
electricity, on large scale, over London
would be as effective.
The immense practical value of me
teorology has been strikingly shown a,
Calcutta The Director of the Bengal
Meteorological Department became aware
Of the existence of terrible storm II
! the middle of the Bay of Bengal five OF
six days before:it reached the land, ano
gave timely danger signals to keep yes
sells from leaving the river at Calcutta
One steamer failed to heed the warning
and foundered, with loss of about sou
lives. Among the six or seven vessel:
kept safely in port were two steamers
bound over the same course as the LOST
vessel and with about an equal number
of passengers, whose escape from death
was undoubtedly due to the wisdom Of
the weather forecasters.
The fact is probably not generally
known that the salt mountains of Neva
da, the salt island in Louisiana, as well
as various other deposits of chloride o.
sodium in different parts of the world,
are almost absolutely pure chloride OF So
dium. 1t appears that OF 22.2s per cent
of salt found in Great Salt Lake 20. 10 pei
cent. is pure chloride of sodium; and YET
many of the streams running into the
lake contain vastly larger quantities Of
other salts, some of the water being sc
heavily charged with nitrates and sui,
pilates of soda and potash rs to be untl'
for animals to drink. In the lake all the
potash salts have disappeared. In thu
ocean, too, the salts named must from
time to time have found their way into
waters in immense quantities, and, in re-
spect to what has become of them, it has
been suggested that the chloride of sodi'
um may have possessed and exercised the
power of separating them and driving
thcm down into the earth beneath.